Fueling Dak Prescott's Hunger: Chef Hoppie ‘100 Percent’ on Cowboys QB’s Team

FRISCO - Dak Prescott likens barbers and chefs to be similar professions: When given the opportunity, each must perform under pressure. Certainly both require a lot of trust, and it can be painfully obvious when you stumble upon a bad one …

Sounds a bit like the job of a quarterback too, doesn’t it?

Maybe that’s why Prescott and his personal chef, Chef Hoppie, have such a great understanding and belief in one another.

“I needed a chef one random day and, boom, he came up (to my house),” Prescott said of hiring Hoppie. “Any time I’ve needed him after, he’s been there for me. I’m a big believer in raising others up. I loved his food, and he understood me.”

Hoppie cooks for Prescott at least three days a week, and receiver CeeDee Lamb five days a week. He also works for running back Tony Pollard, offensive lineman Tyler Smith and was recently hired by Dallas’ first-round draft pick Mazi Smith. The Cowboys players love what he brings to the table (literally) so much, in fact, that they asked Hoppie to travel with them to training camp in Oxnard, California.

Says Prescott of Hoppie, "100 percent he’s a part of the team.”

What makes Chef Hoppie so special? Apart from his jerk chicken and salmon (Prescott’s most-requested dishes), Hoppie understands the demands of playing in the NFL and helps fuel the athletes to be at their peak physical state. The meals are uniquely created for each player, because each player’s body demands different nutrition.

"CeeDee needs to gain weight, while Dak is more of a maintain or lose," Hoppie said. "So there are some differences. A lot of times I can cook the crazy stuff with CeeDee because he's doing more running."

An example of those fun dishes for Lamb? A crab spinach dip with mouth-watering salmon on a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

There is still fun to be had for Dak and Hoppie. Prescott brings the competition from the field into the kitchen, as he and Hoppie like play their own version of 'Guy's Grocery Games'. Prescott will select three ingredients that Hoppie must incorporate into a a recipe with the clock ticking down.

Hoppie is no stranger to the Cowboys. Deion Sanders bestowed Chef Hoppie with his nickname on the football field and then later helped catapult his career in the kitchen. Hoppie played for Sanders' youth football team. At age 12, Hoppie's desserts were the talk of the team snacks and he landed his first job, baking for Sanders at his home.

Manwell McLean has gone by "Chef Hoppie" since his youth football days when he played through an ankle injury during the team's championship game and it looked like his was "hopping."

Sanders was still thinking about those desserts seven years later and picked up the phone to see if Hoppie would be his full-time chef.

"It was a snowball effect from there," Hoppie said.

No surprise, when Prescott had the Cowboys team over for Cinco De Mayo, Hoppie cooked a huge taco and enchiladas spread for the squad.

Hoppie recently spoke on a culinary arts panel dedicated to inspire students at the KitchenAid Fairway Club, ahead of the inaugural major championship played on Fields Ranch East. He hopes to mentor young people in the same way that Sanders coached him.

Hoppie, 25, has a bigger vision for the culinary industry and help grow it as a sport.

"I want to propel culinary arts into the sports world, because right now it's not there," Hoppie said. "The cooking festivals and cooking shows are sports. How come we don't have Nike chef jacket with a Dri-Fit on the back? How come I don't have any non-slip Chef shoes?

"A lot of people don't know that there is a need in the culinary industry and I'm going to be the one that shows, there is a need."

It’s really no surprise Hoppie and Prescott work together well. Game respect game.